Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
On route to his first career tournament win at the U15 level, Napanee golfer Caden Holmes first had to master his first ever three hole playoff.
Though he admits to feeling a bit nervous, especially having to watch his opponent golf in the same pairing, he performed well under pressure to get that first victory in the books.
“It was the first playoff that I’ve ever played in,” said Holmes, whose home course is the Napanee Golf and Country Club. “I was just trying to hit the ball well. (It’s different when) you know the scores of the other person’s shooting.”
Holmes was matched up against Ellis Kinnaird of Carleton Place after they both shot nine over for the tournament.
“I hit the ball well from the start but I really started to play well towards the end,” said Holmes.
He hopes by getting that first win out of the way early in the season he can build on that confidence moving forward this summer. The tournament win also opened a lot of doors for him, qualifying him for a handful of U15 tournaments.
“Not waiting as long to win that first tournament, now that I’ve won one it’s easier to go out and just try to shoot low scores,” said Holmes.
His next major tournament won’t be too far from home as he is set to tee off in the U19 Ontario Championship at Loyalist Golf and Country Club in Bath July 3-6.
Prior to that he lent his skills to the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital’s annual golf tournament on Wednesday, offering to drive the ball from the first tee in exchange for donations to the hospital fund. The tournament was held at the Napanee Golf and Country Club.